Roger Federer denies involvement in betting scandal, IMG Head Ted Forstmann clears his name
The past few weeks have been strenuous ones for tennis legend and possible Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Roger Federer. Apart from his nerve-wracking schedule of matches, the star has been facing allegations of fraud and breach of contract on betting charges
in a lawsuit filed by Jim Agate, of Agate Printing, against the Maestro’s management company, IMG.
While the case cited IMG’s head, Ted Forstmann, as a major defendant, it also brought up Federer’s 2007 French Open final against Nadal. The lawsuit claims that Forstmann contacted Federer, who provided him with information pertaining to his victory, which
encouraged Forstmann’s chances in a bet for Federer. Jim Agate claims to have served these two defendants as a middleman in the betting process.
However, in the past week, Roger Federer has emphatically and completely denied any involvement in the scandal. To cement his innocence, he contacted Forstmann himself, saying, “I reached out to him and told him I want to know everything about it, how this
came about. And he’s been, you know, nice enough obviously to tell me from his side and has been very open in the press already”.
While Federer’s agent is Tony Godsick, not Forstmann, the player emphasizes that in a high-profile case such as this it is important for him to be in the picture of all developments.
Along with Federer’s statement, Forstmann has also cleared his own name. The IMG Executive told the press that he has not bet on any player since January 2009, when the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program came into effect.
Agate’s lawsuit against the player and the head claims that Forstmann increased his bets on Federer after the Maestro gave him inside information on his chances of winning the match.
Along with this, Agate also says that Forstmann bet five thousand dollars on the Swiss player at the 2006 French Open final, which he lost to Rafael Nadal. According to this lawsuit, Forstmann placed higher bets on Federer next year, at $22,000 and $11,000
respectively.
While it is obviously bad for the reputation of both players and the IMG, the fact remains that betting on players has never been prohibited for agents or other members of a player’s entourage. The only individuals strictly forbidden from betting on matches
are the players themselves.
Along with this, back in 2007 when the bet was supposedly made, there was no rule to bar a player from giving an agent information about their matches. This rule was changed in January of last year, due to concerns of match-fixing.
In addition to this, Forstmann states categorically that he did not take any information from Federer before the match. He says, “I might have called Roger before the match in 2007. But Roger is a buddy of mine, and all I would be doing is wishing him luck”.
Forstmann tells tennis’s anti-corruption group that he has not bet on the sport since rules forbidding gambling were introduced nearly two years ago. These rules have been in effect since 2009 – two years after the supposed bet was made.
Forstmann’s word is backed up by that of Tennis Integrity Unit’s, Mark Harrison, the group’s spokesperson, has “made it clear that since January 2009, he [Ted Forstmann] has been covered by the provisions of the game’s anti-corruption code”.
Harrison adds in an email, further clearing the management group’s head, “Forstmann has confirmed that he understands and accepts this and advised that he has not gambled on tennis since the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program came into effect from January
2009”.
These recent developments confirm what Federer has been saying all along, and what the IMG has backed up, that Jim Agate is both mistaken and malicious, purposely trying to bring harm to the reputation of two estimable parties.
Tennis authorities are immeasurably relieved by this, since speculations were rife that if these allegations were proved, it might result in the fall of the integrity of tennis.
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